LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 1, 2 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Taranaki Daily Xcws will bo published as usual to-morrow (King's Birthday),. It is reported that a well-known Wellington business man has drawn the first prize in a big sweepstake in Australia. The Post Office will observe the King's Birthday as a holiday. Full particulars are given under the heading "mail Notices." Frost fish, a delicious though rare article of food, are being caught in various parts of the Dominion. Five came ashore at Taiaroa Head (Dunedin) a few nights ago. A dividend of 250 per cent., making 1,355 per cent for the last fourteen years, was recently announced in Glasgow at a meeting of the Selangor Rubber Company. Owing to the inability to obtain a supply of trout ova in time for the Taranaki Winter Show, the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society will not be able to make the trout hatching exhibit as intended. ■ Legislation will be introduced by the Government this session, said the Hon. H. D. Bell to a reporter on Friday, to constitute a Scientific Board of Advice, among the functions of which will be the printing and supervision of Government publications. "It is to be deplored," said Mr. Justice Denniston at the Supreme Court in Christchurch, "that appeals are allowed from the magistrate's decision on points of fact. Magistrates are as well able to judge such matters as are Supreme Court judges."

The new Parliament House will have three storeys and a basement. The first storey will be in Covomandel granite. Tenders are 'being called for the erection of the superstructure, either in Tonga Bay granite, light grey marble from Motueka,' Mount Somers limestone, or Coromandel granite. A homer pigeon, of the blue chequer breed, was discovered in an empty truck on the wharf on Saturday morning. It had evidently hit a telegraph wire in its flight, as one wing was 'broken. It bore a ring marked P.E. 12-13-272. The bird is in the hands of one of the wharf employees, whose name and address we will be pleased to give to the owner.

The annual meeting of subscribers to i the Inglewood Public Library was held. on Friday night, when the best attend-'] ance for some years met to hear the re-' port on the year's work. The annual report and statement of receipts and expenditure, which have been reviewed in these columns, were adopted. The committee of last year, Messrs Tarplee, Trim- ; ble, Percival, and Hood, were re-elected. An association in London, in its report for 15)12, paid a striking tribute to the value of newspaper advertising. ''There is no doubt," it was stated, "that the newspaper advertisements have paid us handsomely, and we have again proved the wisdom of continuous advertising, as there has not been a single day in the whole year but we have had applications for our guides. The association, which spent considerably more on newspaper advertising than on any other form of publicity, intends to extend its campaign this year."

A number of Greeks arc at present in Sydney buying up all the roes of fish obtainable for export to Port Said and surrounding ports. It is a queer industry, but. highly profitable. This is the breeding season for mullet, and the heavy roes are bought by the Greeks for 2s to 3s per dozen. At the end of the season in New South Wales the Greeks will move on to fresh fields, taking with them the roes, salted or otherwise treated. The roes will be sold at 15s per lb to the people of the northern countries, who regard them as a great luxury. The dealers are said to have made a profit of £3OOO last year. Three or four roes weigh lib, which is bought for 9d to Is, and sold for 15s. With reference to Mr. L. G. Naylor's "find" of £l4O worth of gold, made the other day on Clyde commonage, Waiker Valley (says the Wyndham Farmer), Mr. William Howard of South Wyndham, a veteran digger, states his that this gold -would be identical with part of the escort gold robbery committed by Rennie and another at Dunstan forty years ago, for which crime. I Rennie was imprisoned. Mr. Howard

states that the robbers "planted" their booty in several different places, and, as to his certain knowledge—he being on the Dunstan field at the time—no coarse gold was obtained from Waikeri Valley, it <is fcyisonable Ito' assume that Mr. Naylor's "find" was part of the stolen escort gold. c As an indication of the popularity of the Dominion Dairy Show at Hawera, it may be mentioned that applications for space for machinery, side shows; etc., already exceed the limit—a somewhat unique .position to occupy a month before the exhibition opens. However, steps are being taken to accommodate the most attractive exhibits, and the general public are promised something out of the common in the up-to-date displays that are sure to be made. All that is required is full benches in the other divisions, and from all. appearances this will be fully met. Entries close at 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. Schedules and entry forms for general exhibits can be'obtained on application to the secretary, Mr. A. M. Conroy, Box 174, Hawera.

The "casuals" arrived back from Oringi on Saturday evening, their spirited "war cry" entertaining the big crowd gathered at the station. It speaks well for the enthusiasm of the men of the 11th Regiment, that a reporter who spoke to several of the boys could get no other opinion of the spell under canvas than that they had "had a good time." At the meeting of the Brotherhood yesterday afternoon Mr. S. G. Smith presided, and an address was delivered by the Rev. Frank Hales on "The Facts of War," a report of which appears in another column. 'Mr. W. Smith gave an enjoyable solo.

Although the Theatre Royal last night was crowded to the doors when the Orchestral Society gave an enjoyable concert, the collection taken up in aid of the funds of the New Plymouth Hospital realised only £ls fis lid. Among the coins received were eight coppers, and a whole army of threepences, with but two half-crowns. After payment of expenses, I and adding the Government subsidy, the Hospital will benefit to the extent of some £2O. OILSKINS AND OVERCOATS CHEAP AT THE MELBOURNE. Our climate demands—nay, insists upon every inhabitant providing himself with adequate waterproof clothing. Whether your fancy turns to oilskin, mackintosh, rubber coat or just plain topcoat, the Melbourne is better able to fill your requirements than any other store in the province. Read these prices: American oilcoats, "Challenge" brand. 12/0 and 17/6; famous "Fish" brand slickers. 10/0; boys' walking oilskins, sizes 34 to 48 inches, 8/11; riding ditto, 10/0; men's fawn rubber coats, 25/-; men's Warm Cheviot coats, 35/-, 30/0: men's blanket coats, 3!)/0, 40/0, 50/0; men's rain coats, poimlar dark grey eraveneltes, 32/0 and 30/0 : men's famous TTvdrotites. very fashionable, 37/0 and 40/0; bovs' and youths' dark grev ].tincoats, 10/0 to 24/0: boys' Hydrotite coats, 22/0; splendid line of ladies' hvdrotite raincoats, very latest cut, only 22/6; little boys' overcoats, 5/11 to io/ii.

Hundreds of tons of wood.pulp, quan* tities of newspaper reels, and 20 railway trucks were destroyed by fire at Tamsworth, America, on the 18th inst.

England is the greatest cheese-eating country in the world. She takes 75 per cent, of the 4,800,000 ewt. of cheese which is imported annually into Europe.

It is said on the highest statistical authority in the United States that the sum spent upon automobile tyres in the great republic is larger than the total cost of maintaining the American Navy. Probably the sum invested in the cars themselves is larger than the capital cost of the whole fleet.

Extensive deposits of fuller's earth, which is used in the manufacture of woollen goods, are stated to have been found on the shore of Gatun Lake, on the Panama Canal. The peculiar value of the deposit lies in its location. It may enter largely into the solution of the problem of "return cargo" for ships that carry coal from Hampton Roads (England) to Panama.